Indian Panorama Jury Meets the press

Panaji : The Jury members of Indian Panorama including Chairman of feature film category Aribam Syam Sharma met the Press here today after opening of the segment. The other members were actress, filmmaker Bijaya Jena, writer-director Major Ravi, actor Phonsok Ladakhi from Feature Films and filmmakers Makarand Brahme and Bachaspatimayum Sunzu from Non- Feature film section.

Briefing the media, director, actor and music composer from Manipur Aribam Syam Sharma, said that taking advantage of technology, young film makers are experimenting and exploring film making. In this year’s films, beautiful shots that lost the quality in transition from celluloid to video have returned, promising quality films and bright future.

Underlining the irony that he is known as an Indian film maker abroad but regional film maker in India, he urged that films in Indian languages made in various regions should also be called Indian films and not just regional films. “There seems to be some confusion about Indian films but for me an Indian film means a film made in different regions of India in different Languages” he explained.

Jury member Makarand Brahme said that digital cinema is coming of age and technology has made film making easier. People are experimenting with all available options, he said. At present, fiction and nonfiction films are being judged on the same parameters under non feature film section. Pointing out the difference between the two, he emphasised the need to have different parameters for judging both kind of films.

Major Ravi, in his opening remarks, informed that in the feature film section, out of the 25 films shortlisted finally, 24 films were selected unanimously. But the jury had to redo the entire exercise as three films scored similar evaluation and competed for the 25th film, he explained.

Bijaya Jena said government support is required for regional media. Diversity is the beauty of India’s unity and films made across the country need to be promoted and seen by all. She said that the two films ‘Nanak Shah Faqir’ and ‘Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal’ have been recommended for the UNESCO Peace Award and are going to Paris.

Phonsok Ladakhi said that films need to be made with wisdom as simply taking shots cannot be defined as a film till it has an element of wisdom in it.

Bachaspatimayum Sunzu expressed disappointment over the quality of films in the Non-Feature section as compared to previous years.

Nanak Shah Faqir is a Punjabi film about Nanak ji’s preaching of strength of love even in the face of persecution. Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal is a Malyalam film based on ‘endosalfan’ a pesticide banned all over the world but used in Kerela on cashew plants causing deformities.